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[James T. Kirk]

Meant to say that it's my interpretation that most end up reaching sobriety more than there are tragic cases, but new users seem to get only a short window to edit posts?

Do we? If so, that sucks.

 

[BILLY BIG BALLS]

Yeah, don't know for sure if it's new users or a sitewide thing but I can't edit that post I just made just over half an hour ago

 

[Super Mario]

someone needs to tell the people on opiates in west virginia (highest rate of ODs in the US) or any other red state or conservative areas in blue states where opiate addiction is a big problem that if they don't quit soon, they will succumb to a fate worse than death. Voting Democratic

unless you have data on the political leanings of people with drug habits that I'm not privy too lol

Just mindlessly casting drug addicts off as losers when it could affect anyone from any social strata isn't great either, for me this is clearly a problem that is a bit deeper than if people are lazy, feckless and irresponsible or not.

Like no shit people should be personally responsible, but if turns out they're not, what can and/or should governments and corporations as well as law enforcement do to mitigate these issues?

Demi Lovato is a young, wealthy high profile person who hopefully can surround herself with a good support network and hopefully get into the mindset of not destroying herself with this utterly wasteful drug, good luck to her, most celebs do make it to the other side healthy.

It's certainly not just Democrats. However, Democrats are more likely to look for policies friendly to drug users. They're the side where "legalize all drugs" comes from. A few skewed statistics are thrown out, and suddenly, making heroin ok fixes the world.

There's all kinds of people who get hooked on hard drugs like heroin, but the poor are affected disproportionately more. Funny how that works since another agenda says they are too poor and cannot afford health care. Now the care they were prescribed is now killing them. It's not friendly to say anymore in this Liberal world, but maybe, there's a lot of poor people who are in the status they are, because of their choices.

 

[Gander]

I think I'm addicted to yellow cake powder but I'm too afraid to try and find out.

 

[highrider]

The majority? Prescription pain pills will certainly increase the risk of addiction vs not taking them, but don't be fooled by the fake news to make you believe it's the majority of the problem. Because the majority of drug addicts are just losers.

It's deception along the lines of "black people are being thrown into jail for smoking weed". No. It's creating a victim state for drugs, and Democratic votes.

I don’t use news so much as some people I’ve known, celebrities and such, and yeah opiates aren’t handed out easily anymore but for a long time they were. I’m not saying there aren’t just drug addicts as well, but when you have these huge communities effected. I think prescriptions through the 90s and early 2000s created a lot of our addict population today. I don’t demonize people with drug problems, if anything I’m empathetic having been through it myself. I’m not even particularly democratic or conservative.

 

[I_D]

The majority? Prescription pain pills will certainly increase the risk of addiction vs not taking them, but don't be fooled by the fake news to make you believe it's the majority of the problem. Because the majority of drug addicts are just losers.

40% of all drug-related deaths (opioids, anyway) are from prescription-based drugs: https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/data/overdose.html
It's not the majority, but it's pretty darn close.

That's not to say that all of the deaths were people who actually had the prescriptions, but it's difficult to find data on how many people give their prescriptions away. If you know of any good studies, I'd be happy to see them.

When the numbers are that close, I think calling addicts "losers" is a bit harsh.
But claiming the deaths of thousands of people is some method of increasing democratic votes is definitely disingenuous.

 

[Super Mario]

40% of all drug-related deaths (opioids, anyway) are from prescription-based drugs: https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/data/overdose.html
It's not the majority, but it's pretty darn close.

That's not to say that all of the deaths were people who actually had the prescriptions, but it's difficult to find data on how many people give their prescriptions away. If you know of any good studies, I'd be happy to see them.

When the numbers are that close, I think calling addicts "losers" is a bit harsh.
But claiming the deaths of thousands of people is some method of increasing democratic votes is definitely disingenuous.

https://www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse/opioids/opioid-overdose-crisis

What do we know about the opioid crisis?

• Roughly 21 to 29 percent of patients prescribed opioids for chronic pain misuse them.6
• Between 8 and 12 percent develop an opioid use disorder.7–9
• An estimated 4 to 6 percent who misuse prescription opioids transition to heroin.7–9
• About 80 percent of people who use heroin first misused prescription opioids.7
• Opioid overdoses increased 30 percent from July 2016 through September 2017 in 52 areas in 45 states.10
• The Midwestern region saw opioid overdoses increase 70 percent from July 2016 through September 2017.10
• Opioid overdoses in large cities increase by 54 percent in 16 states.10

4-6% of these people turn to heroin. So what's the next excuse for why people are using heroin? It gets tiring when we use blanket statements for the smallest fractions of data.

Is Demo Lovato on prescriptions? No. She turned into a junkie. It's supposed to be all sad, and then the Liberals tell you about this unavoidable disease of addiction.

 

[I_D]

https://www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse/opioids/opioid-overdose-crisis

What do we know about the opioid crisis?

• Roughly 21 to 29 percent of patients prescribed opioids for chronic pain misuse them.6
• Between 8 and 12 percent develop an opioid use disorder.7–9
• An estimated 4 to 6 percent who misuse prescription opioids transition to heroin.7–9
• About 80 percent of people who use heroin first misused prescription opioids.7
• Opioid overdoses increased 30 percent from July 2016 through September 2017 in 52 areas in 45 states.10
• The Midwestern region saw opioid overdoses increase 70 percent from July 2016 through September 2017.10
• Opioid overdoses in large cities increase by 54 percent in 16 states.10

4-6% of these people turn to heroin. So what's the next excuse for why people are using heroin? It gets tiring when we use blanket statements for the smallest fractions of data.

Is Demo Lovato on prescriptions? No. She turned into a junkie. It's supposed to be all sad, and then the Liberals tell you about this unavoidable disease of addiction.

I think you misunderstood me. I'm not arguing about people who turn to heroin.
I'm saying that 40% of deaths are caused by legal drugs, which means the people who die from illegal drugs are far closer in population than people might think.
If 40% of the people who die were given the drug from a doctor, it's possible that the other 60% aren't quite the "losers" you claim them to be. It's entirely possible that they're just ordinary people who get themselves into dangerous situations and are unable to escape due to the sickness that is addiction.

The source you provided is an eye-opener though: I had no idea the amount of heroin users who crossed over from opioids was so high. 80 percent is an insane amount.

And then if you look the locations where the largest increases in opioid deaths occurred, and then compare those states to the 2016 election results, it's quite obvious who the issue is: Everybody.
In fact, looks like more Republican states have sliiiightly more opioid deaths than Democratic states.

Honestly, you sound like a person who's never seen addiction up-close. Hopefully I'm right, since it's a horrendous thing to experience, and I hope nobody else has to go through it.
If I'm wrong though, and you actually do know a person who struggles with it, and you've seen how insanely difficult it is for people to escape, I can't see how you would argue that people are just 'losers' and 'junkies.'
Especially someone like Demi Lovato. She's done more good for this world than probably you and me combined, and this is coming from a person who couldn't name a single song from her.

The narrative that people who do drugs are back-alley criminals who prey on others is outdated. Crack-heads skittering around the telephone lines, and babies selling drugs on the corner is no longer the description for most drug-users.
Drug-users are your neighbors, your coworkers, your parents, and your kids. I can almost guarantee every American on this site knows at least one addict and probably isn't even aware of it, because it's so prevalent in the US.

It's not nearly as simple as you're making it out to be.

 

[Super Mario]

I think you misunderstood me. I'm not arguing about people who turn to heroin.
I'm saying that 40% of deaths are caused by legal drugs, which means the people who die from illegal drugs are far closer in population than people might think.
If 40% of the people who die were given the drug from a doctor, it's possible that the other 60% aren't quite the "losers" you claim them to be. It's entirely possible that they're just ordinary people who get themselves into dangerous situations and are unable to escape due to the sickness that is addiction.

The source you provided is an eye-opener though: I had no idea the amount of heroin users who crossed over from opioids was so high. 80 percent is an insane amount.

And then if you look the locations where the largest increases in opioid deaths occurred, and then compare those states to the 2016 election results, it's quite obvious who the issue is: Everybody.
In fact, looks like more Republican states have sliiiightly more opioid deaths than Democratic states.

Honestly, you sound like a person who's never seen addiction up-close. Hopefully I'm right, since it's a horrendous thing to experience, and I hope nobody else has to go through it.
If I'm wrong though, and you actually do know a person who struggles with it, and you've seen how insanely difficult it is for people to escape, I can't see how you would argue that people are just 'losers' and 'junkies.'
Especially someone like Demi Lovato. She's done more good for this world than probably you and me combined, and this is coming from a person who couldn't name a single song from her.

The narrative that people who do drugs are back-alley criminals who prey on others is outdated. Crack-heads skittering around the telephone lines, and babies selling drugs on the corner is no longer the description for most drug-users.
Drug-users are your neighbors, your coworkers, your parents, and your kids. I can almost guarantee every American on this site knows at least one addict and probably isn't even aware of it, because it's so prevalent in the US.

It's not nearly as simple as you're making it out to be.

40% of deaths caused by legal drugs =/= what you are implying it is. "Legal drug deaths" is a broad category. This is how fake news gets started.

I have seen addiction up close. It's sad. Obviously, you don't want to see a friend or family member go through it. Usually, that is the moment when most logic goes out of the window, and feelings take over. Let's be real. The majority of these people we know, weren't hooked because "big pharma knowingly pushed these addictive drugs for money". Like the original claim that made me jump in this. It's not the majority. Those who get addicted to illegal, seriously harmful drugs are by and large people making bad decisions. They are majority lower income as well. Just because it's a sad topic, doesn't mean I'm going to sugarcoat it.

 

[oagboghi2]

Demi Lovato is not a victim here. She didn't trip, fall and end up in the shit. She made a conscious choice to embrace a lifestyle that led to this.

It doesn't matter how many babies she has kissed, or the amount of tax breaks she gets from charities, she celebrated smoking weed, apparently did meth for a while, and now she is here . Like many people in Hollywood, she is a junkie

 

[King of Foxes]

Demi Lovato is not a victim here. She didn't trip, fall and end up in the shit. She made a conscious choice to embrace a lifestyle that led to this.

It doesn't matter how many babies she has kissed, or the amount of tax breaks she gets from charities, she celebrated smoking weed, apparently did meth for a while, and now she is here . Like many people in Hollywood, she is a junkie

I think most of us common plebs are more in awe of how no matter how rich or wholesome you are, money can't help you. (despite it being common knowledge its still sobering to see it play out in the media)

Winehouse and Cobain were obviously tortured souls but Demi is pretty much a pop star on easy street, hence the shock and dismay.

 

[Gander]

I think most of us common plebs are more in awe of how no matter how rich or wholesome you are, money can't help you. (despite it being common knowledge its still sobering to see it play out in the media)

Winehouse and Cobain were obviously tortured souls but Demi is pretty much a pop star on easy street, hence the shock and dismay.

There is no escaping not having a healthy spirit. Anthony Bourdain had it all, money, family, and respect but you can't hide from yourself. Either you are spiritually grounded or you aren't. Unfortunately there is no road map to get there either.

 

[BANGS]

I think most of us common plebs are more in awe of how no matter how rich or wholesome you are, money can't help you. (despite it being common knowledge its still sobering to see it play out in the media)

Winehouse and Cobain were obviously tortured souls but Demi is pretty much a pop star on easy street, hence the shock and dismay.

I'm not gonna lie, if I was a single rich celebrity I'd prolly do a good amount of blow myself... but I still would never touch heroine...

 

[TrainedRage]

I'm not gonna lie, if I was a single rich celebrity I'd prolly do a good amount of blow myself... but I still would never touch heroine...

I bet you would if it was in pill form and you were pressured and semi intrigued.

 

[Gander]

Anybody struggling with addiction I would suggest you listen to Russel Brand, he has definitely been through it all.

 

[BANGS]

I bet you would if it was in pill form and you were pressured and semi intrigued.

Guarantee I wouldn't, I hate that kinda high... or rather low...

 

[Death Dealer]

4-6% of these people turn to heroin. So what's the next excuse for why people are using heroin? It gets tiring when we use blanket statements for the smallest fractions of data.

According to that data, it's actually just 4-6% of the 21-29% who misuse. So that's only like 1-2 % of everyone prescribed them. I read another stat that said less than 1% of people prescribed them become addicted. My brother used to be a heroin addict. It started with him taking prescription pain meds for a legit condition. But years after he no longer needed them, he took them illegally, he obtained pills from the black market because he liked the high. And when they started cracking down on excess pain prescriptions and the blackmarket pain pills became too expensive, he switched to heroin because it was cheaper.

 

[Spheyr]

Demi Lovato is not a victim here. She didn't trip, fall and end up in the shit. She made a conscious choice to embrace a lifestyle that led to this.

It doesn't matter how many babies she has kissed, or the amount of tax breaks she gets from charities, she celebrated smoking weed, apparently did meth for a while, and now she is here . Like many people in Hollywood, she is a junkie

A lot of child actors get molested.

 

[oagboghi2]

A lot of child actors get molested.

Is there any proof she was molested as a child?

 

[crobb991]

shes hot as fuck... but why is this news?

 

[J-Roderton]

shes hot as fuck... but why is this news?

She's pretty famous.

 

[Spheyr]

She's pretty famous.

To the under 25 crowd maybe.

 

[J-Roderton]

To the under 25 crowd maybe.

Maybe you're right. Or maybe I've been a radio jock for too long.

 

[crobb991]

im 28 and ive never heard of her until my sixteen year old cousin was crying that one of her gigs got cancelled here.

 

[MC Safety]

Normally I wouldn't bother with a C- or D-list celebrity indulging to excess. I understand these people are human and have great pressure put upon them. They're often vulnerable and scared, etc. So it's not as if I don't sympathize.

But whoever called 911 during this woman's crisis had the absolute stones to request the medical/police units that responded not use their sirens.

I hope it was just an example of a person misspeaking under extreme duress. But it was more likely someone who thought a celebrity's privacy trumped everything else.

 

[oagboghi2]

Normally I wouldn't bother with a C- or D-list celebrity indulging to excess. I understand these people are human and have great pressure put upon them. They're often vulnerable and scared, etc. So it's not as if I don't sympathize.

But whoever called 911 during this woman's crisis had the absolute stones to request the medical/police units that responded not use their sirens.

I hope it was just an example of a person misspeaking under extreme duress. But it was more likely someone who thought a celebrity's privacy trumped everything else.

That is pure narcissism. I'm not even slightly suprised

 

[Arkos]

I’m so glad she’s okay. Addiction is a serious problem that affects millions, if you or someone you know is struggling there are SO many resources for you. Please feel free to PM me.

That being said, I want to hear about the Jonas Brothers going full John McAfee with bath salts in Central America now.

 

[Aggelos]

Necro-bumping this thread because Demi has some words to share from her OD experience.

 

[eddie4]

for a second i thought, oh... again?

 

[Hatemachine]

Fell off the wagon and into a pile of donuts.

 

[Aggelos]

for a second i thought, oh... again?

She relapsed in 2019 again, even though her 2018 experience was a near-death one (as she shares in the Joe Rogan vid)

 

[Ikutachi]

What is it with letter posters doing the necro-bumping?

 

[Jaysen]

 

[EverydayBeast]

What do people think will happen when you give your body too much of something? Things shut down, and that podcast with Joe is absolutely

 

[Kimahri]

What is it with letter posters doing the necro-bumping?

Who gives a shit? You think an avatar automatically makes you better or something?

 

[Pagusas]

As someone who has never ever done any drugs, smoked anything, or even been “wasted” in his life (and keep in mind I’m pretty old now) when people say drugs make you feel “good” can anyone describe what that feeling is like? It just seems crazy that people are willing to risk od’ing for it, so it must be something crazy feeling

 

[Reality Czar]

Sad that this happens to so many child stars. This has long been a problem with the entertainment industry.

 

[quickwhips]

i never get what goes through some peoples heads "heroin? yeah seems like a good idea ill try it"

I imagine you got addicted to something else and it's a means to an ends. I had some friends who got addicted to pills and shit and heroine was easier to get until they died later. When they started doing anything other than weed I stopped hanging out with them. I had 5 friends die from over dose. I guess we weren't friends when I stopped hanging though.

 

[p_xavier]

As someone who has never ever done any drugs, smoked anything, or even been “wasted” in his life (and keep in mind I’m pretty old now) when people say drugs make you feel “good” can anyone describe what that feeling is like? It just seems crazy that people are willing to risk od’ing for it, so it must be something crazy feeling

As someone who should be dead already. Drugs make you so happy then you want to relive that happiest moment in your life over and over again even if it makes you miserable in between.

 

[belmarduk]

Glad she's doing better. When this thread was necrobumped I worried she'd overdosed again.

 

[epicnemesis]

As someone who should be dead already. Drugs make you so happy then you want to relive that happiest moment in your life over and over again even if it makes you miserable in between.

Thank you for your transparency. I’ve always wanted to ask someone who struggled with this questions.

I had to take Vicodin for a little over a week in 2007 (before that whenever I took it was for a day or two.)
I got to the point where I realized I was taking it as a preventative, and knowing how addictive it was I stopped before I reached the precipice of addiction.

I always attribute the fact that it didn’t spiral for me was due to my awareness of how addictive it can be.

In your opinion, is addiction based off of ignorance, pride, both, or something I’m missing?

My assumption has been that people either don’t see it coming, or think they have the will power to control it. Is there some other angle?

 

[p_xavier]

Thank you for your transparency. I’ve always wanted to ask someone who struggled with this questions.

I had to take Vicodin for a little over a week in 2007 (before that whenever I took it was for a day or two.)
I got to the point where I realized I was taking it as a preventative, and knowing how addictive it was I stopped before I reached the precipice of addiction.

I always attribute the fact that it didn’t spiral for me was due to my awareness of how addictive it can be.

In your opinion, is addiction based off of ignorance, pride, both, or something I’m missing?

My assumption has been that people either don’t see it coming, or think they have the will power to control it. Is there some other angle?

Nothing like that at all. I fully knew what I was (am) getting into. The few mental happiness moments are what you are getting into. I actually got so many psychologists and my main psychiatrist to burn out themselves that I now present myself as a mentally broken person, and you know what, it works. People learn to deal with it. I love being drunk/high/spaced out. Nothing will ever change that. My health is really bad, but so what, in the end we all die anyways.

 

[Kenpachii]

Necro-bumping this thread because Demi has some words to share from her OD experience.

Dam vision loss is real

 

[Aggelos]

Dam vision loss is real

Yup, she's got blind spots in her eyesight, brain damage, couple of strokes, hard for her to drive a vehicle and whatnot. The side effects of her OD experience back in 2018.

 

[Kenpachii]

Yup, she's got blind spots in her eyesight, brain damage, couple of strokes, hard for her to drive a vehicle and whatnot. The side effects of her OD experience back in 2018.

Pretty insane to me how she moves back into drugs yet again even after all of that.

Some people are just insane i guess.

 

[Max_Po]

Yup, she's got blind spots in her eyesight, brain damage, couple of strokes, hard for her to drive a vehicle and whatnot. The side effects of her OD experience back in 2018.

Yea "couple of strokes"

My father had a stroke slightly over a year and half ago... When and what I saw people there (in hospital) I gotta call MOTHERFUCKING bull shit on her claim

I saw people of all ages there, 38, 40,s 50 60 70 80 and 90+ they are not the same after that.

You put a mic in front of crack heads and they talk sweet sweet shit .

Apparently, she was also "raped"

 

[Blade2.0]

As someone who has never ever done any drugs, smoked anything, or even been “wasted” in his life (and keep in mind I’m pretty old now) when people say drugs make you feel “good” can anyone describe what that feeling is like? It just seems crazy that people are willing to risk od’ing for it, so it must be something crazy feeling

You can get high without risk of ODing. It all depends on what you do. Marijuana is one of the "safest" drugs. Very very low risk of ODing or becoming dependent on it. And if you start after 26 there's no risk of stunting growth. I enjoy edibles the most because it takes away smoke inhalation which can still lead to complications. Best way to describe a marijuana high(for me) is I just feel like I'm floating in the wind. You just feel relaxed and all the bullshit of the world is gone. Heroin might feel 10 times better than that high, but you run the risk of death. I don't fuck with anything that can have permanent or long lasting effects. Mary jane, shrooms, and LSD are all relatively safe if you do regular/micro doses of them. And they're actually less harmful than alcohol for your body. But stigmatized as being worse. Regular cigs and alcohol have killed 1000 times more people than lsd, shrooms, or MJ ever could even when used at their most extreme. Shrooms and LSD do cause hallucinations, though, so you should be in a safe space and preferably in a happy and sound mind before taking them or you may have a bad time.

Alright, that about wraps it up. I think my fave high is shrooms. Feels like I'm walking on air with slight hallucination effects. Like lights becoming kaleidoscope-esque and the patterns on your drapes dancing for you. But yeah, heroin and all the terrible shit for you. No thanks. I don't even drink anymore because of what it does to your body.

 

[haxan7]

As someone who has never ever done any drugs, smoked anything, or even been “wasted” in his life (and keep in mind I’m pretty old now) when people say drugs make you feel “good” can anyone describe what that feeling is like? It just seems crazy that people are willing to risk od’ing for it, so it must be something crazy feeling

Alcohol is the feeling of forgetting your worries and living in the moment.

Painkillers are the feeling of comfort and warmth like knowing everything is ok and you’re wrapped in a blanket of love.

 

[Ionian]

Got some micro-dots once (tiny things LSD based) and took with 3 other friends.

2 Friends fell asleep (No idea how)

I got my first panic attack and left despite my other mate telling me it was a bad idea.

I walked home, walked around a table thinking I was going to die and walked back to where we took them. (20 -30 minutes).

Saying some drugs are safe is wrong as you just don't know how they will hit an individual. It's different for everyone.

 

[INC]

Got some micro-dots once (tiny things LSD based) and took with 3 other friends.

2 Friends fell asleep (No idea how)

I got my first panic attack and left despite my other mate telling me it was a bad idea.

I walked home, walked around a table thinking I was going to die and walked back to where we took them. (20 -30 minutes).

Saying some drugs are safe is wrong as you just don't know how they will hit an individual. It's different for everyone.

Sounds like u have issues not the drug, Ur other friend's were fine, it would appear u are fucked in the head, hence the bad experience. Seek help for your mental issues xx